The Legacy of the Paris Conservatoire
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THE LEGACY OF THE PARIS CONSERVATOIRE AND ITS HARPISTS: A SOLO HARP RECITAL by Jessica Russell Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Departmental Honors in the Department of Music Texas Christian University Fort Worth, Texas May 4, 2015 ii THE LEGACY OF THE PARIS CONSERVATOIRE AND ITS HARPISTS: A SOLO HARP RECITAL Project Approved: Supervising Professor: Laura L. Brandenburg, D.M.A. Department of Music Stuart Cheney, Ph.D. Department of Music Karla O’Donald, M.A. Department of Spanish and Hispanic Studies iii ABSTRACT The Paris Conservatoire trains musicians of the highest quality, and the harpists of the Conservatoire are no exception to this legacy. The transition from the nineteenth to the twentieth century, in particular, saw a group of brilliant and talented harpists begin their careers from the springboard of the Conservatoire. Among these were Henriette Renié and Carlos Salzedo. The Conservatoire also trained other great musicians who composed brilliantly for the harp. The presence of virtuosic harpists at the Conservatoire provided a source of inspiration for composers such as Gabriel Pierné and Jacques Ibert to build upon. This paper accompanies a solo harp recital that focuses on music by harpists and composers who studied at the Paris Conservatoire. The selected works for the program include Légende by Henriette Renié, Variations on a Theme in Ancient Style by Carlos Salzedo, Concertstück, Op. 39 by Gabriel Pierné, Entr’acte by Jacques Ibert, and Grand Study in Imitation of the Mandoline by Elias Parish Alvars. The purpose of the subsequent historical and compositional analysis of the selected works is to provide a broader perspective for both the performer and audience members in the context of a solo harp recital. Such detailed analysis enriches the recital experience for audience members. Understanding the historical context and stylistic components of the music guides the performer in his interpretation of the music. For the performer, this analysis is an essential component of the recital preparation process. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................1 HENRIETTE RENIÉ: LÉGENDE (1901)...............................................................2 CARLO SALZEDO: VARIATIONS ON A THEME IN ANCIENT STYLE, OP. 30 (1911)..................................................................................................................5 GABRIEL PIERNÉ: CONCERTSTÜCK, OP. 39 (1901)........................................7 JACQUES IBERT: ENTR’ACTE (1937)…............................................................9 ELIAS PARISH ALVARS: GRAND STUDY IN IMITATION OF THE MANDOLINE (1843-44)........................................................................................12 CONCLUSION......................................................................................................17 BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................18 1 INTRODUCTION The classical musician presenting a solo recital has much to consider throughout the process. Some musicians select a theme or idea for the recital that brings the selected works together into a cohesive unit. The musician must analyze the pieces in terms of form, harmonic and melodic content, and required techniques. The process of painstakingly learning the pieces note by note requires many hours of practicing and listening. The musician absorbs the music, intimately learning every aspect of it. Throughout this process, an essential component of preparation includes a thorough analysis of the composers’ biographical information and the historical context of each piece. This research component of recital preparation aids the musician in better understanding how and why the composer created the work. Clues as to the composer’s intentions, especially regarding the expression of ideas, become an important part of the musician’s performance of the piece. Every moment of the performance must be controlled and intentional. As the musician incorporates his own interpretation of the piece, he must first understand what the composer originally intended. The following research has been an integral part of the recital preparation process for this solo harp program. The theme for the accompanying recital is French composers who studied at the Paris Conservatoire, with particular emphasis on the legacy of harpists who studied at this institution. The legacy of great harpists and composers such as Henriette Renié and Carlos Salzedo has significantly impacted the current generation of harpists. Additional works on the program by Gabriel Pierné and Jacques Ibert are important in the harp’s repertoire and represent an indirect contribution to the harp legacy 2 of the Paris Conservatoire. This recital also features a work by Elias Parish Alvars who, although not a student at the Conservatoire, played a significant role in the development of harp repertoire and was a masterful harpist and composer. HENRIETTE RENIÉ: LÉGENDE (1901) Henriette Renié (1875-1956) remains one of the harp’s greatest legends. Harpists recognize her contribution in creating a lasting respect for the harp as a solo instrument. Not only did she compose masterpieces for the harp, but she also influenced composers and their compositions for the harp during her life and even after. Her passionate and devoted teaching trained professional harpists who have carried her legacy and technique down to the current generation of harpists.1 Born on September 18, 1875, Renié grew up in an artistically minded family. Her mother was related to a well-known Parisian cabinet-maker and her father was an architect, painter, and singer. During one of her father’s singing performances, Renié, who was just 5 years old, heard the Belgian harpist Alphonse Hasselmans play. She declared that he would teach her the harp. Indeed, at the age of 8 she began to study under Hasselmans and progressed quickly.2 Renié began studying the harp at the Paris Conservatoire at age 10 under the instruction of Hasselmans. A child prodigy, she won second prize at the Conservatoire’s annual competition in her first year there and first prize two years later. She also studied harmony and composition at the Conservatoire, winning additional prizes from the school in this area. Her Concerto en ut mineur, completed in 1901, successfully established her 1 Haefner, “Virtuoso, Composer, and Teacher: Henriette Renié’s Compositions and Transcriptions for Harp in Perspective,” 1-2. 2 Ibid., 3-4. 3 as both a harpist and composer, as well as showcasing the harp as a solo instrument. Her growing career as a harpist led to invitations to perform all over Europe.3 Primarily through her performances, Renié propelled the harp forward and into a position as an established solo instrument for the concert stage, no longer just an instrument for amateurs. When Renié began composing for the harp, the double-action pedal harp had existed for approximately 100 years. Renié brought harp compositions to a higher level by using enharmonics and modulations, incorporating the abilities of the double-action pedal harp to play in any key.4 Her composition Légende exemplifies her ability to use the full chromatic range of the instrument and compose a piece with rich harmonic depth. Many hail Légende as Renié’s greatest work because she pushed the boundaries of harp music through its programmatic nature and special effects.5 This piece was composed in 1901, the same year she completed her Concerto en ut mineur. A 1926 recording of her performance of Légende sold out six months after the release, testifying to both her popularity as a harpist and the appeal of this composition.6 This work is technically challenging and requires a great deal of virtuosity in performing it.7 Influenced by her love of reading and of the theater, many of Renié’s pieces relate a narrative.8 Légende conveys the tragic tale of two lovers’ challenges and ultimate demise, as told in the poem “Les elfes” by the French nineteenth-century poet, Charles– Marie Leconte de Lisle. On the eve of the lovers’ wedding, the Queen of the Elves stops 3 Ibid., 5-9. 4 Slaughter, “Henriette Renié: A Pioneer in the World of the Harp,”9, 34, 37. 5 Ibid., 40-41. 6 Haefner, “Virtuoso, Composer, and Teacher,” 8-9, 21. 7 Slaughter, “Henriette Renié,” 41. 8 Haefner, “Virtuoso, Composer, and Teacher,” 39. 4 the Cavalier from meeting his beloved and attempts to make him love her, even casting a spell on him. After his escape, he finds his beloved, but she is a mere ghostlike form because she has already died. Devastated, he also dies.9 One particular refrain in the poem that appears seven times describes the elves and their joyful dancing. Renié sets this refrain to music. The half steps in the motive do not resolve to a new harmony but rather descend, rise and then fall again to the same harmony, suggesting confusion and perhaps at one point “the frantic gallop of the Cavalier’s horse.” She varies the setting of the motive each time it appears.10 Example 1: Légende, Henriette Renié, mm. 39-41 This motive also transforms to become heavy and rhythmically driving, expressing the Cavalier’s desperation. Later the motive moves up to the high register of the harp and the delicate, quick notes depict the elves and their dancing.11 This refrain becomes an important theme in the piece, continually returning. The half step movements serve in some ways as a repeated reminder of the instrument’s